2006 Saleen S7R Race Car – 2012 Monterey Auctions

Building a supercar from scratch is one of those things that people just don't attempt very often, and for good reason. The running joke is something along the lines of "the best way to make a small fortune building supercars is to start with a much bigger fortune". Steve Saleen wasn't exactly green when it came to performance cars, but the S7 was the first and only car that he built that wasn't based on an existing platform, and fortunately it was a good one.

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The original car ran a naturally-aspirated Ford 427 which was good for a solid 550 bhp. By 2005 the demand for more power was answered with a twin-turbo variant of the 427 making just over 750 bhp and propelling the S7 to a top speed of 248 mph. Rumor has it a few versions of his twin-turbo cars equipped with a competition pack which included revised suspension and aerodynamics were actually tuned to make in excess of 1000 bhp. No details seem to be available on the top speed of this version, but if you're already over 240 before the 33% horsepower gain.

From the very beginning it was clear that Saleen's intention was to go racing, and that he did. A total of 15 S7R race cars were prepped for GT racing in championships ranging from ALMS, to FIA GT, to a variety of endurance events throughout the world. Although the teams were competitive, more often than not they found themselves placing somewhere in the middle of the pack.

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Of the vast parade of race cars coming to auction this weekend, this particular Saleen S7R is one of the most decorated of the bunch. Being one of the cars campaigned by the French racing team Oreca, this S7R started by winning Spa-Francorchamps in 2006 before moving on to champion the FFSA French GT Series with 3 1st place finishes, 7 podiums as well as being in the top 5 for a dozen more races. To make things even more interesting, the car is fully refreshed and compliant with international GT1 rules around the world, so if you have the guts (and the checkbook) to go racing with the big boys at ALMS, here's your entry ticket.